The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Royal commission needs more time: TJHC

The federal government is being urged to give the royal commission into child sex abuse more time and money to finish its job or risk squandering the opportunity and insulting the victims.

The commission tabled a report on Monday, saying it needs another $104 million and an extra two years to do its job and reach more vulnerable groups.

Truth Justice and Healing Council chief executive Francis Sullivan says the inquiry into institutional responses to child sex abuse must be given the time and resources it wants.

"To not finish the job properly and completely would be an insult to all the victims of abuse and one of the greatest lost opportunities of our generation," he said in a statement.

"This is a once in a life time chance for the community to fully understand the devastation of child sexual abuse, its historic pervasion into so many different institutions and steps needed to ensure past tragedies are never revisited."

Attorney-General George Brandis said the interim report made clear the enormous scale of the task being undertaken by the commission.

"It is important that those affected by child sexual abuse and the Australian community as a whole can learn from the commission's work so far," he said in a brief statement.